A New Adventure
by AvatarArtist13
Summary: Al goes to Xing, planning to learn Alkahestry from Mei, but when he arrives, he finds that Mei is dealing with a problem that threatens Al's growing feelings for her. Can he solve the problem before its too late? What's Ling got to do with? ALMEI! LINGFAN! READ!


A New Adventure

**DISCLAIMER: I WISH I owned FMA. But…I don't. So don't go killing Ms. Arakawa if this sucks. She had nothing to do with it. ^_^**

**A/N: OK! So I've written two other fics about Legend of Korra but FMA is my favorite story/show/entertainment-thingy EVER. And I really wanted to try writing for some other fandoms. Right now, I'm really into Almei. I also love Royai (of course), Edwin (so sweet), and Lingfan ('cause how can you not?). I also ship Havbecca (HavocxRebecca) for some reason, and KainxSheska. I know. I'm weird. But KainxSheska is a nerdy pairing and I'm a HUGE nerd so maybe…I don't know…it…gives me…hope? Anyways, on with the story!**

Xing was a beautiful place. It was incredibly huge and extravagant. Paper lanterns lined the streets while lights inside interconnected buildings housing restaurants, shops, and the occasional residence, flicked on to start the day. As a now 19-year-old Alphonse Elric stared out the window of the train car, he smiled at the sight, resting his chin in his hand. It was the beginning of a second chapter in his life, a happier one, as he was determined to make it so. Al was starting to get the hang of his new body. Well, it was really his original body, but being away from it so long had caused Al to forget just what exactly you could and couldn't do. He could smell and feel, and best of all, eat apple pies. Al was so grateful for these abilities, and vowed never to take them for granted. He did forget, however, that his body was now vulnerable. Of course, he was never _invincible_ in that suit of armor, but more so than he was now. He learned very quickly, that he could no longer bust through walls, or slap his brother without hurting himself as well. Al sighed, laughing at the memory. He closed his eyes and imagined what it would be like to study under Mei and finally learn Alkahestry. Mei…Al hadn't seen her in a while. He missed her greatly, a fact that surprised himself. The last memory he had of her was when she was being carried away back to Xing on the Promised Day. Al felt a pang of sadness at the thought. He wished he would've said goodbye properly. Apparently, her little (no, HUGE) crush on him had affected his feelings about her, because he found himself thinking about her very often. What did she look like now? Did she grow any taller? Did she still like him? Would she even remember him? Ok, so the last one wasn't really a question. She knew he was coming. Zampano had talked to her over the phone before they left for the station. Al was disappointed he didn't get to talk to her, but he heard he voice on the other end of the phone.

"_Ok. I'll be waiting at the station for you guys. Then we can head to the palace and meet up with my brother." _

Her voice sounded very mature, but not overly serious, and still quite bubbly. She sounded excited, and Al could picture her smiling on the other side of the phone. That got Al thinking even more about how else she'd changed.

Needless to say, he was dying to find out.

As the train stopped at the station, Al shook the two sleeping and drooling chimeras awake. The woke up, groggily of course, and grabbed their bags before heading out onto the platform. It was the busiest station Al had ever seen. He could barely move two feet without running into someone. Sure, he was a tall guy, taller than Ed anyway, but he still couldn't get through. The chimeras were waiting by a bench, deep in conversation, leaving Al to search for Mei by himself.

"Hmph. Some help they are." He huffed. How was he supposed to find a small girl like her in this crowd? He began calling her name, still stumbling through the station at a snail's pace.

"MEI!? Where are you?! MEI?!" He called but he was sure his voice was drowned out by the whistles and other people saying goodbye as their family members stepped onto the trains. He looked around, not seeing her anywhere

"Alphonse?" a female voice, the same one he heard on the phone, called out.

"Yeah it's me! Where are –" He was suddenly tackled by a girl with black hair and two log braids down her back. Her height reached to about his chin. He knew who it was immediately.

"Hi Mei," he said reaching he arms around her back and holding her tightly. She pulled back with a large smile on her face and he took her in. She was wearing a dark purple dress with silver lining and designs on it. Her face was less circular and her jawline was more prominent. Her smile was the same and she had grown fairly tall, again reaching Al's chin. She was curvier, he noticed, making him blush. She had definently grown into a beautiful young woman. Her dress hugged her body nicely and Al could no longer speak.

"Hi Al! Welcome to Xing." Zampano and Jerso walked over to meet them.

"Hiya Princess. How've ya been?" Jerso asked.

"Oh," she sighed, crossing her arms and looking up at the roof, "Same as last week."

"Ling still trying to persuade the council to forget about marrying you off to the leader of the Huang clan?" This snapped Al out of his revere.

"M-marrying you-you off?" Al asked.

"Yes. Sadly he's having no luck. The council thinks it would be the best and the Huangs are very wealthy. I-I don't want to marry the guy, but since it would be best for the clan and since he can't persuade them to do otherwise…I'm afraid…I may have no choice." She looked back at Al with a defeated face. He felt helpless. He wanted to help her but he didn't know how. She smiled, but he could see the flash of pain that crossed her face. He absolutely _**hated**_ the idea that Mei would be married off to some rich pretty boy like some object you can throw away just because it would benefit the empire. He tried to hide his loathing for the situation, but balled his fists in frustration. Mei saw him and clenched open his hands one by one. She looked at him directly. "Well, no use worrying about it now. There's nothing I can do, so I'll cross that that bridge when I come to it. Right now, I really just want to start teaching you Alkahestry." Mei said this with a real smile, this one reaching her eyes. She grabbed Al's hand and they weaved their way through the station.

"We'll catch up with you later!" Zampano called to the pair. "We've got some stuff to find first!" Al waved as he and Mei disappeared into the crowd.

Mei was walking in front of Al, guiding him up a winding path that she said led to the palace. When he asked why it was so hidden, she responded by saying, _"Well, do you expect them to just slap a front door on the place and call it good? No. It has to be hidden so that only royal family members and the staff can get in." _Al laughed at the dumbfounded look on her face, as if she was questioning his sanity. The walked in comfortable silence until Al broke it.

"Hey Mei," he asked.

"Yeah?"

"Are you sure you're ok with this whole marriage thing?" She stopped walking and turned to look at him with saddened eyes.

"To be honest," she began "I don't know what I'm going to do. Ling, bless his annoying heart, has been pestering the council to drop the subject for weeks. They just won't budge. I've appealed to them and they said I had to if I wanted my clan to survive. There's just no way out." Al snapped.

"But Lings _the emperor!_ They can't say no to him!" Al said angrily.

"They can if they think it'll benefit the country!" Mei exclaimed, eyes watering. Al continued on with his fury.

"The whole thing is just unfair! It should be your choice, not theirs! You're only sixteen Mei! This is just ridiculous! I cannot believe you aren't even gonna try and fight this!"

"I _did _try! And why does this bother you so much Alphonse? I was getting along fine with it until you brought it back up!" Mei choked back the tears, forgetting her sadness, and becoming angry.

"Well maybe if you would have told me sooner, I could've-"

"Do NOT try to blame me for this Al! I didn't tell you because I didn't think you'd care!"

"Why wouldn't I?" he asked, daring her to answer the question.

"I don't—I haven't seen you in years! And even then, we weren't the best of friends! I was a stupid, naïve little girl who had no idea what she was getting herself into. Once I was back in Xing, reality set in, and maybe Ling did promise to help my clan, but I should've seen this coming." She lowered her eyes and glared at the ground.

"You weren't stupid Mei! Don't ever call yourself that, especially not in front of me!" Mei's eyes widened. "And for what its worth, I did consider you my best friend." His voice softened, and he walked up to her. He place an arm around her waist and a hand on her chin. "I do care about you, Mei. A lot. I realize that now." He lifted her chin up to meet his eyes. "I want to help you. Just let me, ok?" he smiled and she pulled him into their second hug that day, sobbing into his chest and flinging her arms around his neck. He put his arm around her shoulders and tightened his hold on her waist. They stayed like that for a while, breathing in each other's scent. After a while the pulled away, but as the walked, Al grabbed her hand. His mind was running wild, trying to find a way out of this mess, and vowing to talk to Ling later.

'_I'm not going to let them take you away from me, Mei,' _he thought determinedly._ 'Never.'_

**A/N: Was it too OOC? Was Al yelling too much? Was it boring? I know this is a very cliché premise but I think it's very romantic. Please leave feedback!**

**I will continue to update but since school starts in a couple of weeks I will have to work aroud my schedule. I WILL update though, if you guys want me to.**

**^_^ See ya!**


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